New Beginnings
by symphonycirrus
Summary: After the eclipse, Azkadellia is struggling with life after the witch, and Jeb is struggling with life after the resistance.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: SciFi Channel is the god of all things Tin Man. I am but a lowly fan.

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CHAPTER 1

It was hard to believe it was over. It was a strange sensation, being alone in her head after so many annuals of sharing her body. Sometimes she felt scared, but most often lonely. Her parents visited, of course, and DG was with her often. The two nights since the eclipse, her sister had stayed with her through the night, magic light shining from their clasped hands. But Az knew DG had friends, and so she had faked a smile and convinced her to spend a few hours away. During that time she sat at her bedroom window that overlooked the garden. For a moment, she longed to be outside; the gardens were beautiful at this time of year, but then she remembered the reason she hadn't left her chambers in two days. Hers was the face of her people's oppression. No one would believe she was anything but the sorceress.

She turned her eyes from the sunny garden to her lap. Her loose black hair fell around her face like a curtain to hide her tears. She heard the door swing open, but didn't look up.

"Az!" DG cried, running to her side. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you!"She grabbed Az's hand tightly and they both felt the rush of magic flow through them. Wiping her face, she looked up into her sister's large blue eyes.

"You can't be with me all the time, Deeg. I need to figure out how to do this myself."

"Who says I can't be with you all the time?" DG retorted fiercely, but even she knew it wasn't practical. "It's okay, you're just not ready." She took a seat next to Az and they both looked out onto the garden grounds below.

--

It was hard to believe it was over. Jeb Cain had built his whole life around fighting the sorceress's regime and now that they had won, and the queen was back in power, he wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to do. Older fighters had trades to return to, but he had just been a boy then. He had spent the first day bidding farewell to old friends and dealing with supplies and tents from his camp. The next day, a message arrived. The queen was summoning resistance leaders to the palace for a meeting. Who was he to refuse a summons from the queen? He packed his few belongings on his old brown horse and set out.

It was odd traveling on the roads in broad daylight without fear of Longcoat patrols or checkpoints. If those sons of bitches knew what was good for them, they'd be running as fast and as far as they could. _Of course, you could never be too careful_, he thought as his hand drifted to his sidearm.

He came over the last ridge and saw the palace in all its glory settled in the green valley below. Orange light reflected off its towers in the setting sun. The old banners shimmered gold in the wind. A bit of pride stirred in him as he urged his horse onward down the road.

--

Azkadellia lay awake next to DG in her bed. The large clock in her room struck three. She had to get out of this prison, even for a short time. Any distraction from her own mind. Her sister had been breathing slowly and steadily for some time now. As slowly and gently as possible, Az extricated her 

hand from her sister's and lifted herself off the bed. When DG didn't stir, she threw a cloak about herself and slipped silently out the door.

The halls were practically deserted at this hour. Dodging only two patrols, she made it to the garden door. She was reaching for the handle when a familiar voice froze her in her tracks.

"Going somewhere, Princess?"

She turned to face Wyatt Cain.

"You've been following me since I left my room." It was a statement rather than a question.

"It's awful late to be wandering the palace."

She decided to be honest. "Mr. Cain, I'm going to go crazy trapped in that room, but I can't be seen because everyone's scared of me. I really just want to walk in the garden for a few minutes. Please? I won't be gone long, I promise." Her eyes welled up at the idea of being forced back to her room.

Cain studied her hard for a moment before giving a curt nod. "Not too long now, I'll be keeping an eye on you through the window so don't be thinking about running off. "

She nodded quickly and disappeared out the door.

The moon was high and cast a faint glow on the paths and plants of the palace garden. A light breeze through the trees was the only sound besides her footsteps. She felt an immense gratitude to Cain for not stopping her. It was nice to be looked after without being smothered.

As she paced through the flora, she was, for the first time, at peace with the silence rather than being unnerved by it. There were flowering trees, bushes, and trellises full of apple blossoms, roses, daisies, and ivy. Az came around a bend to find a bed of day lilies, their petals closed for the night. She held up a closed hand in front of a flower. As she opened her fingers, light beamed from her hand to the bloom. Its petals slowly opened to reveal a striking orange and pink coloration. The silence was disturbed by the palace door opening and closing. Az knew her time was up and hurried back a waiting Wyatt Cain. He held the door for her and accompanied her through the dark corridors.

"DG's worried about you, you know." He stated quietly.

Az sighed. "I know."

After a pause, Wyatt continued, "She's afraid you'll run away or try and off yourself."

She couldn't deny that those thoughts had crossed her mind.

As they reached her door, he added, "Not everyone in the OZ wants you dead."

She met his steady gaze and saw the surprising sincerity behind his statement.

"Thank you, Mr. Cain, for everything." She entered her room quietly, hanging her cloak by the door and climbing carefully back into bed. She slowly placed her hand back in her sister's and closed her eyes.

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a/n: A couple of things: first, no I am not a crazy botanist or anything even though I put Az in the garden a lot in "A Mother's Affection". I just feel like it's a great little escape for her within the palace grounds, and being surrounded by natural beauty might be therapeutic for her. Second: This is my first exploration of an Az/Jeb pairing, and I feel it's one of the most under-developed pairings in this fandom.

Third: thanks for reading! Leave reviews please!


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Jeb awoke in his guest quarters in the palace. He laughed to himself. _Who would have thought I'd ever be here?_ The bed beneath him felt strange after years of sleeping in tents and on cots. He had almost pulled the blankets off and curled up on the floor the night before. Getting up, he quickly dressed, then went in search of his father. The idea of seeing his father on a regular basis was going to take some getting used to. A week ago, he thought the man was long dead. He found him in the conference room, directing the setup for today's meeting.

"Jeb!" Wyatt gave some instructions to a palace staff member before walking over to join his son.

"Good morning, Father."

"Just getting things set for today. How'd you sleep? Those beds are somethin' else, aren't they? I'm still not used to them."

Jeb nodded, then turned his attention to the hustling staff. "What's this meeting about?"

"Partially to thank you for your loyal service, blah blah blah, but mostly to discuss the future of the OZ – reestablishing order, rounding up stray Longcoats, trials for servants of the sorceress, that kind of thing. Listen, I have to go check in with the queen. Walk with me."

Wyatt knocked twice on the large oak door. A pleasant woman's voice called, "Enter." He swung it open to reveal a small but powerful looking woman at an ornately carved desk. Her lavender eyes looked up and she smiled.

"Ah, Mr. Cain. How go the preparations?"

"Almost ready, Your Majesty."

"Wonderful." Her eyes fell on Jeb. "And this must be young Mr. Cain."

Jeb's eyes went to the red woven rug on the floor and he bowed his head in respect. "Your Majesty."

"I understand you coordinated the diversion that allowed my youngest daughter and her friends to sneak inside the tower."

"Yes Your Majesty."

"Then it seems I am in your debt."

His eyes shot up to the queens in shock. "In my debt?"

She smiled again. "Please don't hesitate to ask if there is anything I can do for you." She turned her attention back to Wyatt. "We will begin at noon."

"Yes, ma'am." Jeb turned and followed his father back to the conference room.

--

"But I don't want to leave you alone for…however many hours this is gonna take!"

"DG." Az stated patiently. "This is really important. They've put one of Ambrose's audio-visual recording devices in the room and I'll be watching what's going on from here. I won't be alone, I'll be watching you the whole time."

Her sister finally acquiesced as their father arrived to gather DG. He placed a kiss on Az's cheek and she forced a smile as they left. She turned the monitor to face her bed and sat down to watch the games begin.

--

All the seats for resistance leaders were filled except for one, who sent word he had been delayed. Jeb sat next to his father near the head of the table. The men and women talked amongst themselves until they were silenced by a knock at the door. Everyone stood as Ambrose, the newly-repaired royal advisor, appeared, followed by the queen, her consort, and the princess DG, who was dressed in her distinctively un-royal Other Side clothes.

At the head of the table, the queen gestured for everyone to be seated.

"First and foremost, I would like to thank each and every one of you seated at this table. You have demonstrated outstanding loyalty and courage in highly difficult times. All of you have made sacrifices for the cause of freedom, without which victory would have been impossible. I owe each of you a great debt of gratitude, and yet I am calling on your services again. We need to establish order in the Outer Zone. We have reports of looting in abandoned Longcoat stations, varying reports of renegade bands of Longcoats, and no police force in Central City. I am open to ideas." She folded her slender hands on the table and cast her lavender eyes around the table expectantly.

Anaia Sloane, a fit, middle-aged woman known for her swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat skills, spoke up from the foot of the table. "So we need Tin Men for Central City, and we need Longcoat hunters."

"A detail for the palace, too." Wyatt added. "If we've got angry Longcoats out there, this place needs to be protected."

Jeb mostly listened to the brainstorming session as plans were formulated for the next few hours. Anaia and Eliot Bassett agreed to head up the Longcoat hunters, while Reg Stanton, the man sitting on Jeb's other side, would coordinate the new Central City Police Department. Wyatt, of course, would run the palace security detail. Joan Burton volunteered to track down magistrates and judges in hiding to restart the judicial system, and Hector Worthing would round up some prison guards for the Longcoat detainees.

Everyone was chattering on about their plans when Jeb finally spoke the question that had been bothering him all day.

"Your Majesty, what happened to the sorceress?"

DG, Ambrose, and Wyatt shared a brief look as all noise in the room stopped. All eyes turned to the queen.

"To fully and honestly answer that question, I must first recount to you a story. One that, until quite recently, was known to only a few. Most children in the OZ have heard the fairy tale of the Dark Witch and the Alliance of Light, where representatives of all races in the OZ banded together to banish the witch to a stone prison for all eternity. What is not so widely known is that it was an actual event that occurred approximately 700 years ago."

A hushed murmur of disbelief rose and fell quickly before she continued.

"Over time, the exact location of the prison was lost. All that was known was that it lay south of the Crack in the OZ. I now take you to a summer nearly fifteen annuals ago. I was with my family at our retreat at Finaqua. My daughters often went off on their own to play, or pick apples, or skip stones. That particular day, they stumbled upon a cave."

As the queen continued, Jeb tried to process what she was saying. She was proposing that Azkadellia was possessed by an evil witch out of a bedtime story? He was having a hard time believing that, and from the looks on the faces around him, many of those gathered felt the same way.

"…Then I was forced to make a decision no parent should ever have to make. I had to choose between my daughters. I had enough power to either revive Dorothygale or fight the witch inside Azkadellia."

But on the other hand, what motivation would she have to protect Azkadellia? A misplaced sense of motherly love? What about her duty to her subjects?

"And so, through their bond, my daughters destroyed the evil sorceress inside Azkadellia."

A long moment of silence followed. Then Reg spoke up. "So you're saying Azkadellia is alive. And in this palace."

"Yes, but the witch inside her is dead. She has confined herself to her quarters."

Another pause.

"You'll pardon me, but that seems hard to believe."

The room then exploded with cries of "She killed hundreds of people!", "She's tricking you!", "How can she get away with this?", and the like. DG jumped right into the shouting match, retorting that none of them were there, how would they know what did or didn't happen?

Jeb noticed his father becoming more and more agitated until he finally stood and bellowed, "SILENCE!"

He could have heard a pin drop. Those on their feet sat down as he continued.

"Have we lost all civility these past years? You are speaking with the queen of the OZ!"

--

As Azkadellia watched the turmoil in the conference room, her heart sank. Of course they didn't believe it. Why should they? Even she believed it was too easy a way out for her. She was not being held accountable for her cooperation in the matter.

A knock at the door startled her. She gathered herself to appear calm and confident and strode over. Turning the handle, she found a very unlikely visitor.

"Mr. Raw." She said in surprise.

"Raw come in?" he asked quietly.

"Of course." She stepped out of the way and closed the door behind him. "Can I help you with something?"

The Viewer simply turned to the monitor showing Cain putting everyone in their place. Her confident front dropped somewhat.

"Ah yes. That."

He walked over and turned off the monitor.

"Azkadellia feel sad, lonely, confused, guilty. Much guilt and shame."

Tears sprung to her eyes at being laid open so quickly. He guided her to sit on the edge of her bed and pulled the chair from her vanity over to face her.

"Not your fault."

"That's what everyone's been saying. As DG says, 'I'm not buying it'."

"Az not know what was witch and what was her."

The tears were flowing now. "Please don't tell anyone, Raw. If they knew-" She paused. "Please don't tell."

His earnest eyes looked into hers. "Secrets safe with Raw."

She took several deep breaths calming herself. "Thank you."

After a moment, he held out an open hand. "Azkadellia…share memories?" He asked tentatively.

All at once a thousand despicable acts she had committed came into her mind. Tortures, deaths, things she'd like nothing more than to forget. She recoiled from the Viewer.

"No! No one can know! No one!"

He nodded and held his hands up in surrender, trying to settle her down. As her heart rate fell to normal again, she watched him replace the chair and head to the door. Feeling bad that he had been trying to make her feel better and was leaving like this, she called out.

"Raw, thank you for coming."

He turned at the door. "When Azkadellia ready, Raw here."

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	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this chapter's a bit short, but I didn't want to tack in on to the last one and it doesn't fit with the next, so...here it is!

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CHAPTER 3

Jeb knew it was at least an hour after midnight, and here he was staring at the dark ceiling of his quarters mulling over the day's events. After the…eventful meeting that afternoon, he caught up with his father on his way to the queen's office.

"You knew about Azkadellia and this supposed possession?"

"I did."

"Do you believe it?"

Wyatt sighed as he stopped walking, then looked his son straight in the eye. "The only one there was DG, but she has no reason to lie to protect the witch. The witch wanted her dead. I've also had an opportunity to observe Azkadellia's actions over the past few days and I'm telling you, it's not the same person. So yes, I believe it."

Jeb valued his father's opinion highly, but wasn't ready to accept it as his own yet. It was possible that Wyatt's view was skewed by loyalty to his new friends. A good Azkadellia was an idea simply too farfetched to take in.

He threw his bedcovers back. A walk might clear his head. The halls were empty and he had nearly completed a lap of the wing and was coming around the staircase when he found in front of him the very princess in dispute.

He was so startled, his reflexes sent his hand to his knife. Azkadellia, equally surprised, jumped back against the banister. For a brief moment, the two stared wide-eyed at each other. She looked different to him, less severe. Her hair was loose and flowing and she wore a simple frock.

The princess found her voice first. "Are you going to kill me, Jeb?" she whispered.

This did not seem sorceress-like at all to him. In fact, he was surprised he wasn't already dead, a grey corpse on the floor.

"I was thinking about it," he gritted. "But I was wondering why you hadn't killed me yet. You've sure tried hard in the past."

Her response was the complete opposite of the vicious rage he had expected. She started to cry. Not the silent tears kind, either. Turning from him, she tore down the hallway.

His overwhelming curiosity at this seemingly new Azkadellia sent him following her quietly and from a distance as she navigated the palace layout. She ran through the door leading to the gardens and he slipped out behind her.

--

Azkadellia kept running until she was deep within the garden. She finally stopped to catch her breath and sank to her knees, tears flowing freely. While she had never come face to face with Jeb Cain 

before, she recognized him from the numerous wanted posters she had issued, requesting him dead or alive. By her orders, his father was imprisoned and tortured. She still couldn't fathom how Wyatt had found it in his heart to forgive her. A bit of overzealousness on the part of Zero led to the death of his mother. She'd destroyed his life. How many countless others had she ruined?

"I deserve to die!" She sobbed to the empty garden.

A tiny white blossom from the flowering trees dropped on the path in front of her. She gently picked it up and was examining it when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Come on, Your Highness." Wyatt Cain extended a hand to help her up. She looked at him through her tears for a moment before taking it and he hoisted her to her feet. She didn't ask how he knew where she was. It seemed Cain had nearly supernatural powers for locating missing princesses. She simply allowed him to guide her silently back to her room.

--

Jeb didn't move from his hiding spot until long after his father escorted Azkadellia back inside. He had a hunch his father had known he was there. Thankfully the princess hadn't. _Despite my best efforts_, he thought cynically as he rubbed the throbbing spot on the back of his head. He was looking backwards and walked right into a low tree branch. He had bit his tongue trying to stifle a cry. Luckily, the branch had only shaken once, sending a single flower floating away.

But he had heard her clearly and was certain the sorceress would never admit she deserved death. In fact, she would have sucked the life out of him back in the palace. Perhaps this was a new person. But was it really possible? He finally stood and brushed himself off. As he headed back inside, his mind was swimming with a new set of questions.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

His father met him outside his door the next morning.

"Listen, son." He said as they walked toward the kitchens. "I know you've been taking down Longcoats for a while now, but you haven't said what you'd like to do from now on. I was hoping you'd consider staying here for a while. I know it's just me being selfish, but it would be nice to have you around."

His father was right. He had been on the move for so long, it was like second nature. It had been a while after they lost the first cabin before he and his mother built the second one south of the Crack, and after she died, he was in tents with the resistance 24-7. Staying in one place long term was almost a foreign concept.

It wasn't like he had things to go back to, though. And his father was here. If he was going to build a new life for himself, he had to start somewhere.

"I'd offer you a position, of course." Wyatt continued. "I'm real short-handed right now, so-"

"Yes, Father."

Wyatt stopped and blinked. "Yes?"

"Yes, I'll stay."

His father's face lit up and he gathered Jeb into a bear hug. He didn't stop smiling all the way to breakfast.

Jeb was finishing up his eggs when DG walked into the kitchen. The entire staff stopped and stood in respect, but the princess just rolled her eyes and waved them back to what they were doing. His father, he had noticed, had not stood up. DG approached their small table, turned an empty chair backwards, and joined them. She was wearing the same clothes she'd had on the day before. Jeb looked at her in semi-amazement.

"Aren't you supposed to eat in the dining room, Your Highness?" he asked curiously. Princesses were not supposed to hang out with the staff.

His father snorted and she shot him a dirty look before responding. "The dining room's not my style. They want me to dress up, and-"

"And have polite table conversation." Wyatt added.

"You are not going to let that go, are you?" She turned back to Jeb. "Just 'cause my first morning here I got into a conversation with Az about what girls use since they don't have tampons in the OZ and my period starts this week."

Jeb could extrapolate the meaning of the term "period" and was sure his face was red.

"Mother almost had a fit, and my father couldn't stop laughing, which made her twice as mad."

Wyatt was snickering at the memory.

DG plowed ahead. "But the real reason I came down here was to ask about today's meeting schedule."

Collecting himself, the elder Cain explained. "We start at noon. We're breaking up into groups by assignment, so I'll be meeting with those interested in palace security."

"And after yesterday, I'm sure they'll be lining up to protect the crazy Other Side princess and their former tyrannical leader." DG said cynically.

Jeb shrugged. "I did. But now that you put it that way, I may reconsider." He grinned as his father shot an annoyed look at DG.

For a princess, Dorothygale was surprisingly…unladylike? Un-royal? She was a strange one, to be sure, but in a disarmingly friendly sort of way.

"Are you staying?" he big blue eyes lit up excitedly. "That's great!" She was about to continue, but the clock chimed the hour. "Oh, I've gotta go. See ya later!"

After she'd disappeared again, Jeb turned to his father. "Does she wear the same clothes all the time?"

Wyatt rubbed his temples. "She washes them every night. Apparently it's a protest against dresses." Jeb was about to ask why dresses were objectionable, but his father held up a hand to stop him. "I don't understand. If I did, my life would be a lot easier."

--

Az had barely slept the night before. Each time she drifted off, she dreamed she found a new way to kill Jeb Cain. First, Zero shot him. The next time, she locked him in an iron suit like his father's. When she started sucking out his life, she woke screaming in a cold sweat and cried for the next half hour.

She had breakfast sent up to her a few hours later. She would have loved to join her parents in the dining room, but the staff always gave her odd looks that bothered her. It was easier to just avoid the situation. DG came bouncing in around 9:00, holding a small paper box.

"Dad has playing cards!" she exclaimed, holding up the red and black item in her hand.

"Playing cards?" Az repeated, not understanding.

"Yeah!" Her sister flopped down on the bed and took a stack of cards out of the box. "See, there are four suits: two red and two black." She found four cards with large A's on them, two black and two red. "Hearts and diamonds are red, spades and clubs are black."

"Hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs." Az recited, pointing to each card in turn.

"Right. And for each suit there are numbered cards two to ten, a jack, queen, king, and ace."

"All right, so what do we do with them?"

DG rolled her eyes. "Play games, of course. Here, we'll start easy. She scooped up the cards and quickly shuffled them twice. "This game is called 'Go Fish'."

Az got the hang of it rather quickly and won three out of five games. As DG was was trying to show her how to shuffle, their father knocked and poked his head into the room.

"Ah, I thought that's where you might have been going with those cards."

"Daddy, come look! DG's teaching me how to shuf-"

The cards went spraying across the room. "Oops."

DG started laughing. Their father did, too, and finally Azkadellia as well. It felt so good, she could barely stop as they helped her pick them up.

She dealt her father in for a few games until he and DG had to go to the day's conferences.

"Dad's going to sit in with the Rangers – that's what the Longcoat hunters are calling themselves. Mother wants to discuss arrests and legal proceedings, so I'm going with palace security." DG explained as she put the cards back into their box.

"I'm sure Cain is thrilled." Az said sarcastically.

Their father couldn't smother a smile. "Let's go, DG."

"Have fun!" Az called as they closed the door. She sat for a moment, examining how she felt. She had laughed. For the first time in fifteen annuals, Azkadellia and Azkadellia alone had laughed. She might just get through this after all.

--

_I should have seen this coming_, thought Jeb.

He had arrived with his father at noon to find only Simon Vetch in the conference room. Simon was a young leader in the resistance, but Jeb had not known him well during the fighting. Wyatt shrugged.

"I didn't really expect a big turnout." He turned to the tall, red haired young man who rose to shake his hand. "Thanks for coming, Simon."

"Yes, sir." Vetch replied, then shook hands with Jeb.

DG wandered in, dismissing Simon when he tried to stand. "Oh, sit down. I'm not that big of a deal." She landed in a chair, then looked from Jeb to Simon, and finally back to Wyatt, clearly saying, _Is this it?_ He responded with _Don't you dare say anything_ written all over his face before turning to Simon.

"Vetch. Tell me about what you did in the resistance."

"Mostly scouting, tracking Longcoat movement in the area, some work as a sniper."

"Excellent. We've got a few places here I think we're weak on. I've got about a dozen guys right now, some of them are former security that volunteered to return, a few old ex-police I recruited, and a couple resistance guys. They're all good, there's just not enough people. I really need another guy on grounds patrol. You'll need to know who should be around and who shouldn't, and if we find someone here that shouldn't be, you may need those sharpshooting skills. Does that sound acceptable?"

Simon nodded. "Of course, sir."

"Great. DG, would you take Mr. Vetch to the security office? Langford will have to get him set up." He cut off any debate with a pointed look.

She got the hint and stood. "Simon, is it? Come with me."

As they left the room, the elder Cain turned to Jeb. And Jeb knew exactly what he was going to say.

"Son, I don't trust anyone else with this, and it's why I'm asking you."

"Azkadellia." He stated flatly.

"She is probably the number one target in this palace."

"Then why don't you do it?" he protested weakly.

"Jeb, if I thought anyone else could handle DG, I would. I've been pulling double duty for a few days, but once word gets out that Azkadellia is alive and here, that's not gonna cut it."

Jeb sighed and ran a hand through his hair before nodding. He knew the truth in his father's statements, he just didn't like his lack of options.

"Let's go down to the office, I'll issue you some supplies and a sidearm."

As he followed his father, he couldn't help but wonder what he was getting himself into.

--

Azkadellia had managed to sneak from her room, down the hall, and down the stairs to the library without being spotted, and hid herself away in a corner with a novel. The book was just starting to get exciting when she heard the door open and close. She craned her neck and saw Cain looking around.

"I'm here, Mr. Cain," she called, standing up. "What can I do for you?"

He motioned to a table near the encyclopedias. "We need to talk, Your Highness."

She closed the novel and set it down before coming over to the chair he'd pulled out for her. Taking a seat across the table, he looked her straight in the eye.

"We're going to be elevating security around here real soon."

"You want to assign someone to me."

"I do."

"I think you'll have a hard time finding volunteers. Ones that won't kill me in my sleep, anyway."

"I already have someone."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"Jeb."

Her face fell, dreams of the previous night resurfacing. "No offense, Mr. Cain, but I think he falls into my previously described category." She said, picking at her fingernails absently.

"Princess." His hand reached across the table to rest on hers. She looked up and saw that same serious and honest look that he'd given her when he'd told her not everyone wanted her dead. "I swear on my honor and my life that no harm will come to you under his protection or mine."

If Cain had that much faith, who was she to question the head of the palace guard? She nodded. He wouldn't risk her life, even with his son. It was funny how many people she trusted now when she used to trust no one. DG, then Daddy, then Mother, then Cain, Ambrose, and Raw, and now she was going to have to trust Jeb. She sure hoped Cain was right.

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	5. Chapter 5

Warning: This chapter includes one usage of the F-word. I tried really hard to avoid it, but I'm pretty sure it would be the only word strong enough that would come to mind in the situation.

After reviewing my previous chapters, I saw that how I was denoting POV changes was not transferring from MS Word to the website, so I went through and fixed them all. Hope it makes it easier to read.

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CHAPTER 5

Her door was gone. She blinked twice just to be sure she wasn't imagining it. No, it was really gone. She stepped through into the bedroom to find Jeb Cain standing there, marking on a clipboard.

"What is going on?" she asked. "Where is my door?"

Jeb looked up and gave her a quick nod of respect. "Your Highness. I'm boarding up the door and reinforcing it with a metal sheet."

She stared back in disbelief. "What? How will I get in and out?"

He pointed at the door on the wall to her right. "That leads to the sitting room, right?"

"Well yes, but –"

"And the sitting room has a door to the hall?"

"Yes, but I never use it."

He looked back down at the clipboard. "You do now."

She could not believe what she was hearing. "What difference does it make whether I use this door or that one?"

"This one," he indicated the empty doorway, "Gives anyone in the hallway direct access to you. That one," he pointed to the door to the sitting room, "Makes them come through me first."

"Through you?"

"Yeah, I'll be staying in the sitting room. Don't worry, you won't know I'm there."

_This is not happening_, she thought, right before she saw her nightgown hanging up next to her bed where she'd put it that morning. Face turning a furious shade of red, she stalked over, snatched it off the hook, and placed it back in her closet.

"You could have at least warned me you were coming so anyone passing by didn't get a full view of my undergarments!"

He glanced back at her briefly. "Sorry."

She placed her hands on her hips in indignation. Over Jeb's shoulder, she could now see a blueprint of her quarters on the clipboard. "Any other remodeling I should know about?"

"I'm cementing your bathroom window closed. Oh, and I'm putting a lock and deadbolt on the hall door to the sitting room. Your father, my father and I will have keys to it. You, your mother, and DG will be able to open it with your magic. Other than that…you don't have a balcony, so that's not a problem. Yep, that's it."

She let out an annoyed growl before grabbing the playing cards DG had left on her bed and storming out in search of her sister.

"Well what did you expect?" DG asked as she shuffled the cards. "He's supposed to keep you safe."

"I don't know, ask first? He just went in and took my door off!"

"Relax, Az. It's for the best and you know it." She dealt the cards. "You go first."

She wasn't surprised to find Jeb leaning against the wall, arms crossed, when she stepped out of DG's quarters. Choosing to ignore him, she continued on toward her room. He followed silently, a few paces behind her. The thought suddenly occurred to her that the rest of her life might be very much like this: being shadowed by her bodyguard. How would Jeb feel about that? _Probably awful. He never would have volunteered for this. I bet he hates it already_. That idea made her feel bad about being cross with him earlier. She passed her former doorway without a second glance and entered her sitting room with a wave of her hand over the lock.

He hadn't rearranged any of the furniture. The only trace of his presence was his bedroll and a small bag in the far corner. She turned to face him as he stood under the doorframe.

"Were you planning to sleep on the floor?"

He appeared confused. "Yes, ma'am."

She looked over her shoulder at the three sofas in the room, then back at him. "You can have one of the sofas, I don't ever use them."

"That's mighty kind, Princess, but I don't think –"

"No, really. I – I'd feel better, I think."

Now he looked really puzzled. Clearly unsure of what to do, he gave in. "All right."

What was she supposed to do now? Say goodnight? She wished she'd asked DG more questions about this whole security detail business.

"Okay, umm…good night." She stammered.

"Good night, Your Highness."

_Ugh_, she thought as she closed her bedroom door. _Now he thinks you're a complete mental case_.

There would be no sneaking out to the garden, she realized. At least not until she figured out how to rappel out her window down the side of the palace without Jeb or Wyatt finding out. She changed into her nightshift and climbed into bed. Thankfully, she'd remembered to bring the novel from the library. She read until the fatigue from so little sleep overtook her.

--

_Maybe princesses are just weird._ Jeb was thoroughly perplexed as he rolled out his sleeping bag on the sofa closest to the hall door. He hadn't been excited about this assignment, but it was his job, and he was going to do it to the best of his ability. Nothing would happen to her on his watch. But in the span of a few hours, she'd been pissed at him, then she ignored him, and then she'd seemed concerned about his comfort.

He took off his jacket and boots and set his revolver and knife within easy reach before settling in. This was going to be interesting.

He woke during the night to a sound. The sound of a struggle. In the princess's room. The mere seconds it took to get to her door felt like hours.

_Fuck! It's my first day and someone gets right by me! I have to be the worst damn guard ever –_

But when he burst into her room and turned on the lights, there was no intruder. Azkadellia seemed to be in the middle of a terrible nightmare. She thrashed around, strands of long dark hair sticking to her sweaty forehead.

Unsure of the proper way to wake a princess, he stepped toward her bed. "Your Highness?" He inched closer. "Princess?" Finally he took her by the shoulders and shook her gently. "Azkadellia!"

She came out of it violently, grasping tightly to his arm and sitting straight up. As she recognized her surroundings her breathing slowed. After a few seconds, she realized he was there and quickly released his arm.

"Oh goodness, Jeb. I'm so sorry." Her eyes were still wide with panic.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

She took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm so sorry I disturbed you." She looked down at her hands. "I – I wasn't saying anything, was I?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Good. I'm very sorry I woke you. I feel terrible."

He knew she was dismissing him, but she was still shaken and he'd feel bad leaving her alone like that. "Is there…anything I can do for you? A cup of tea or something?" When she didn't respond, he continued. "Do you want to walk around? That's what I do when I can't sleep."

She looked up at that suggestion. Leaving no time for her to talk herself out of it, he said, "I'll get my coat."

She walked next to him this time, not in front of him, but he was still letting her lead. He was not at all surprised when they reached the door to the garden.

She pulled off the hood of her cloak and breathed in the fresh outdoor air. It was a crisp evening, and he was glad for his jacket. Azkadellia meandered down the dirt paths, sometimes stopping to touch leaves or petals. After several minutes, she broke the silence.

"Do you know much about plants, Jeb?"

"No, ma'am. I used to help my mother with gardening, but I was just as likely to pull up a flower as a weed."

She smiled slightly. "I loved flowers when I was a child. I knew all their names, where they grew, and in what colors."

His eyes fell on some odd-looking stalks on his right. "What are those?"

She turned and looked. "Day lilies."

He frowned. "They don't look like lilies."

He could hear the smile in her voice as she explained. "They're day lilies because they open up during the day." As she spoke, she opened her hand in front of one, and he watch in wonder as light shone from her hand and the long petals unfolded. A vivid pink and orange bloom stared back at him. It was like she was sharing a little secret with him.

"Wow." Was all he could say.

She closed her hand. The light disappeared and the lily retreated back into itself. Stepping back onto the path, she spoke over her shoulder to him. "That particular variety occurs naturally in the far Eastern Guild."

Jeb began to regret how he'd acted earlier in the day. He could have at least told her before about the modifications to her quarters. He hurried to catch up with her while she continued down the path.

"Listen, Your Highness, about this afternoon –"

She looked over at him. "Don't apologize, Jeb. You were just doing your job. I overreacted. I'm sorry."

That hadn't really been what he was expecting. "You were right, though. I should have informed you ahead of time. It won't happen again."

Apparently that hadn't really been what she was expecting either.

"Then how about you accept my apology and I accept yours."

He nodded. "All right."

Jeb spent the remainder of their small trek wondering when, in the course of a single day, this had stopped feeling like a duty only. Why was he genuinely concerned for her well-being, not just physical? His father was like that with DG, but the two of them were friends. Was he becoming friends with this princess? Was that normal? He thought not, but then again, he wouldn't consider DG or Azkadellia normal. Maybe that's just how things needed to be with them. Either way, this job would certainly not be dull.

* * *

Thanks to my reviewers! As always, reviews and concrit and appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

A knock on her door woke Azkadellia from the first dreamless sleep she'd had on her own. A glance at the clock revealed, shockingly enough, that it was nearly noon. She quickly wrapped her shawl around herself and answered the door.

Jeb stood there, holding a tray from the kitchen. "I've been told you take your meals here."

"It's so late! Why didn't you wake me earlier?"

"I'll only apologize if you can look me in the eye and say it's not the only decent night's sleep you've had in a while."

When she hesitated, he handed her the tray. "I thought so. Eat something and get ready. We've got a meeting in 45 minutes."

At half past noon, she found herself seated between Jeb and DG at a security meeting. Her parents and the leaders of the palace guard were there, as well. Az was nervous. She had been avoiding people for five days, and now she was in a room full of them. DG reached over and laced her fingers lightly between her sister's.

Wyatt Cain, seated on DG's other side, began the meeting in his usual, to-the-point way.

"All right. Our concerns today are that the remaining resistance leaders are leaving today, and that Her Majesty has expressed a desire to visit Central City."

Az looked wide-eyed down the table at her mother.

"I cannot remain holed up in the palace. The people need to see me. They need to know who's back in charge." The queen explained.

Wyatt continued. "This presents us with two issues. First, the queen's safety on the trip. The Prince Consort will be accompanying her, of course, and two of her regular detail: Jenkins and Saylor. Reg Stanton has assured me he can spare a few of his men for the job once they reach the city. What is of more concern to me is that word about Princess Azkadellia is going to spread as the representatives leave. We're going to have to tighten up around here, even though we'll be two men short."

DG gave Az's hand a squeeze.

"All palace staff will be issued identification. Everyone entering the grounds must be checked. We can't afford to have anyone slip through the cracks."

A sense of guilt settled over Azkadellia. All this fuss, extra rounds, extra hours, all because of her.

"Why don't you just send me away?" she blurted out. Suddenly all eyes were on her. "It would be a lot easier on everyone."

It was her mother that answered. "That is not an option." She stated firmly. "Ten thousand other practical reasons aside, we will not keep you running from place to place like a fugitive convict. End of discussion."

As the tactical planning continued, DG leaned over. "Don't worry, think of all the time we'll have to play cards." She whispered. "I've got some new games to teach you."

She managed an appreciative smile at her younger sister, but couldn't shake the feeling that she was forcing a ton of extra work on everyone.

After the meeting, the princesses walked back toward their quarters together.

"Mother and Dad leave tomorrow morning. They told me earlier they want a 'family dinner' tonight. They're even willing to let me wear pants in the dining room."

"Oh, I don't know, Deeg."

"You are not getting out of this one if I'm not, Az." DG opened the lock on her sister's door and dragged her through the sitting room into the bedroom. Closing the door, she pointed at the closet.

"Pick out something pretty. I'm doing your hair. You're coming out of hiding and you're gonna look good."

Az looked around in her closet. Her mother had instructed the seamstress to make her a whole new wardrobe, but she had been sticking to very plain, dark colored dresses. She pulled out a navy blue one and showed DG.

"Too boring. It's dinner, not a funeral." Her sister went back to rummaging through her vanity. "Geez, everything in here is black."

Az put a hand on her hip. "I don't see why I have to dress up if you're just wearing those."

DG looked up again, meeting the challenge in her sister's eyes. "You're saying you'll dress up if I do."

Azkadellia grinned mischeviously.

Her sister narrowed her eyes. "I get to pick your dress. And I get to tell Cain I lost a bet."

"Agreed."

She stalked past Az into the closet. Browsing all the way to the back, she pulled out a soft yellow, empire-waist gown.

"Modest enough for you, colorful enough for me. Now grab a pair of shoes and let's go to my room. You have no fun hair stuff."

The girls zipped past two bewildered Cains and sprinted to DG's quarters. Az noticed for the first time that DG always walked through her sitting room to get to her bedroom, too. The younger princess went into her closet and returned with a knee-length, cornflower blue dress.

"Deeg, that's lovely!"

"Yeah, I've been looking at it for a couple days and decided it was the least objectionable one in there. It goes easy on the frills. Don't expect to see me in heels, though. High-heeled shoes were responsible for my near-death experience at Prom."

DG sat Az down and spent the next half hour on her hair. She brushed it out, parted it in two, and "French-braided" it. She even pulled some thin yellow ribbon from a drawer and braided it into the dark locks. It was completely different from anything Az had down before, but she had to admit she liked it.

"Okay, we're gonna use just a little bit of makeup now. Don't worry, no caked-on eyeliner and mascara."

DG was able to prepare herself relatively quickly and they were putting on their shoes when Wyatt gave knock on the door.

"All right, ladies, playtime's over. Your parents are waiting in the dining room."

The sisters smiled at each other.

"Ready?" Az asked.

"Let's go."

--

Jeb really needed to practice keeping a flat affect. When DG opened the door and she and Azkadellia stepped out, he had at least three full seconds of the "wide-eyed idiot" look before he got himself back under control. Of course, Azkadellia _had_ to have been looking right at him before she bit her lower lip and cast her eyes down shyly. She looked…pretty.

"No allergic reaction? I'd better call the Central City Courier; this is front page news."

His father's sarcasm drew Jeb's attention to DG who was, in fact, in a dress. She held up a finger in his face.

"I lost a bet, and I don't want to hear it." Grabbing her sister's hand, she walked out into the hall.

With a shrug, Wyatt turned and Jeb followed him down to the dining hall.

He was sure the eldest princess hadn't been this happy in a long time. Her parents made a fuss over her as soon as she entered the room and she'd been attempting to suppress a grin all evening. Sometimes, when the conversation turned to DG, the grin would slip out and she'd sneak a glance toward the side door, where he was standing silently and unobtrusively. She seemed so ridiculously happy; he found it hard not to smile back.

As they walked back to her rooms after supper, she chattered on. She was talking so fast, he didn't know most of what she was talking about. But her excitement was bubbling over, so he nodded along. When she started talking with her hands, he tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh.

Her bright eyes turned to him. "What?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"It's nothing. You're just –"

"Just what?"

"You're never this happy. It's contagious."

She eyed him carefully, not sure how to take the comment.

"It's a good thing. I promise. It's like you –" he stopped, realizing it was probably unprofessional to tell her she lit up the room. Az would have none of it.

"What? Oh, come on." She tugged on his sleeve. "What?"

Mildly unnerved by her touch, he finished the sentence differently as he unlocked the door.

"It was good to see you enjoying yourself, Your Highness."

She followed him in. He knew she didn't believe that was his original thought, but she didn't push it.

"I hate being called 'Your Highness'." She confessed. "That's what people call me with they're afraid of my name. Does my name bother you, Jeb?"

"No." he answered honestly. He'd referred to her as Azkadellia in his head often, he just used terms implying more respect when actually speaking with her.

"Would you be comfortable calling me Azkadellia? I'd like it much better, I think."

He nodded.

She smiled in her reserved way. "Thank you. Good night, Jeb."

"Good night, Prin – Azkadellia."

* * *

Thanks to all my reviewers! It is greatly appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

The next afternoon, Jeb found himself in the library with DG and Azkadellia. The girls were at the reference table playing a game they called "War" with a stack of colored and numbered cards. He was sitting near the door half-reading Tin Men: A History of the Central City Police Department, and trying to figure out the rules to "War". It didn't seem to be a very war-like game, except for the disgusted sounds DG made when her sister would pick up a number of cards.

Az caught him looking over a couple of times and finally announced, "You know, if you want to learn to play, you could just say so."

"Oh no, I'm just –"

"You haven't turned a page in fifteen minutes." DG interrupted as she handed her cards to Azkadellia for shuffling. She pointed across the table to her sister's left. "Have a seat."

"This game isn't very aptly-named." He stated after a practice round. "It assumes there can only be a battle when two sides have equal numbers. And there's no strategy."

"I don't name the games, I just play them." She turned to her sister. "It's my deal. I swear you're stacking the deck."

Jeb won the next hand, and Azkadellia the one after that. When DG won the third, she declared victory and insisted on a trip outside. Az tried to protest, but the youngest princess wouldn't hear of it.

"You're going to get all pasty pale with no sunlight. Besides, it's about time you saw the garden up close in the sun."

All security personnel had been issued pocket-sized radio communicators that DG had dubbed "walkie-talkies". Jeb stepped into the hall ahead of the girls and informed outdoor guards of the princesses' plans. He got the okay from his father as the sisters exited the library.

DG took Azkadellia's hand and pulled her on excitedly. Az threw a smile over her shoulder at Jeb before matching pace with her sister.

As he kept up behind them, he wondered when it was that he settled into this new life. He had his family, and a job that kept him busy. _Friends, too_, he supposed. The princesses blurred that line between being his job and being his friends so easily. With DG, it wasn't a problem; he wasn't her personal guard. But Azkadellia had been different. At first, the idea had bothered him, but he came to realize she needed him to be her friend as much as her bodyguard. She needed someone who wouldn't reveal her nightmares or midnight walks. Someone she could talk to freely. Strangely enough, he no longer saw the witch when he looked at her. Her face looked different, besides her hair and wardrobe changes. There was no malice behind her eyes.

He was contented. He didn't yearn for the drifting lifestyle he'd left. Perhaps the whole time he'd spent fighting and wandering, he'd been searching for a place to settle on.

His eyes were on Azkadellia as the trio stepped outside. She paused, looking up at the sky and feeling the warm sunlight on her face.

DG brought her out of her personal moment. "Az? Which ones were from the Papay?"

She hurried ahead to point out the light blossoms.

Perhaps fifteen minutes later, they came upon a stone bench beside the path. Azkadellia took a seat amid DG's story about getting into a fight in grade school.

"And so I told Molly – Az, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's nice out here."

Jeb was feeling warm from the suns and took off his jacket, tossing it beside Az on the bench before rolling up his shirt sleeves.

"Jeb?" He looked down as she picked up a small rectangular object from the ground. It was the harmonica and old resistance fighter had given him years ago. It must have fallen out of his coat pocket. "Do you play?"

"Just a little." He reached to take it, but she turned it over in her hands, dusting it off.

"Would you play something?"

He was about to say no, but she was looking up at him with excited expectation and he was starting to realize he'd do almost anything to make her happy. So he nodded, talking the small instrument as she handed it to him.

The harmonica exhaled a chirp and small bits of dirt when he tested it out. Satisfied that it was clean enough, he started into a jig he played at the camp with a few of the guys the night after the eclipse. Azkadellia stared at him in wonder and DG smiled, pulling her sister up to dance with her. The dancing soon turned to spinning, and the girls laughed, pulling each other around faster and faster. DG dropped out, claiming dizziness, and clapped to the beat while Azkadellia continued.

Jeb thought she looked like she was unaware anyone was watching. She seemed completely unguarded and free: arms out, face turned toward the sky, skirt flowing, long hair fanning out behind her. When he finished, she dropped to the ground, laughing uncontrollably.

--

Az lay there laughing and waiting for the world to stop turning. DG was sitting beside her, giggling, and when she looked up at Jeb, even he laughed.

Then his walkie-talkie crackled to life.

"Jeb, we have a code three, do you read? Code Three."

His expression dropped and he pulled the device from his pocket. "Copy, code three."

Her happy mood evaporated instantly.

"What's going on?" DG demanded.

"We're going inside." He stated simply. "I'll explain later." Grabbing his jacket, he hurried them back inside and upstairs. DG was in the lead and decided to steer them to her quarters, with no resistance from Jeb.

"Simon, code three secure."

"Copy, code three secure." Repeated the voice on the walkie-talkie.

A bad feeling settled in Az's stomach. "Jeb, tell us what's going on."

He looked past both princesses, out DG's sitting room window. "Looks like we have a little situation outside."

The girls turned. A high wall ran the perimeter of the palace grounds, except twelve-foot breaks existed for the roads that went off in the four cardinal directions. In the distance, at the southern entrance, a crowd had gathered. Perhaps 75 people were there, and they appeared to be throwing things at the six palace guards barring their approach. Her remaining spirits sank. She knew why they were here.

Jeb's radio broke the silence.

"Cap'n, this is Robbins. Our guests are gettin' a bit rowdy, sir. We've got rotten vegetables comin' at us now."

Wyatt's voice was recognizable even through transmission static. "On my way now. Vetch and Lawrence, be ready up there, but don't get trigger-happy."

"Copy that, Captain."

Az turned away and sat on the nearest sofa, elbows on her knees and hands covering her face. All of this was happening because of her. She was still bringing trouble to her family, and would continue to do so. DG tried talking to her, but she was tired of nice words that weren't true.

Wyatt managed to disperse the crowd within a half hour. DG realized she wasn't going to be of any help and when Cain returned, she dragged him off to the kitchens for supper. After they had left, Jeb came up next to her and gently took her by the elbows.

"Come on, let's go back to your room."

He helped her to her feet and she gave no protest as he escorted her down the hall, one hand on the small of her back.

Suddenly, she knew what she had to do, and she had to do it now. Walking straight through to her closet, she pulled out several plain, dark frocks and tossed them on her bed. She also pulled out the travel bag she had kept there since the eclipse.

"What are you doing?" Jeb asked from the door.

She didn't stop or look at him, but went to her bureau and took out a handful of stockings. "I have to leave. Everyone knows it, they just feel bad about it."

He stepped into the room and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Where would you go?"

"I don't know. The Northern Island, maybe. No one lives there anymore." She went into the bathroom for a bar of soap and a towel. His voice followed her.

"So you're just gonna run away every time you're found?"

She reentered the room, placing the items in the bag. "Yes."

"What kind of life is that?"

She stood up and finally looked him in the eye. "What kind of life is this? I'm putting everyone here in danger. Just because they're okay with it doesn't make it better." She stepped to the vanity and swept her hair up into a knot at the nape of her neck. Pinning it into place, she murmured. "Besides, it's what I deserve."

All of a sudden, Jeb had whirled her around to face him and when she reached up to push him away, he caught her wrists and gripped them tightly. She struggled but he held fast. His eyes bored into her.

"Stop it. Stop it, Az."

She felt her anger dissolving, and fought the coming onslaught of tears.

"I can't let everyone go through this for me." Drops fell from the corners of her eyes.

The aggressive determination on his face melted.

"I'm bringing this on everyone."

"I'm not letting you leave." He said gently, but definitively.

"Why not?"

"Well, first of all, can you imagine the butt-kicking I will get from my father tomorrow when he finds out you're gone? I'll get stuck with kitchen duty, or worse, he'll put me in charge of your sister."

She let out a half-laugh, half-sob.

"Second, I've been on the run before, and it's not all it's cracked up to be. Third, you've got people here that care about you, and they'd be hurt if you just took off."

She thought of DG. She'd probably run away after her, or some equally half-baked plan. Finally, she couldn't hold it back and collapsed against him, crying in earnest. For several minutes, he just stood there, steadying her while her tears poured out. "I'm just tired of causing so much pain."

"I know."

He spent the night in the large upholstered chair by the bathroom door. She fell asleep more comforted by his presence than any words could have supplied.

* * *

I must admit the scene in the garden with the dancing was partly inspired by Chad Kroeger and Santana's "Into the Night".

Leave a review, please!!


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Robbins had done a little midnight recon and found a camp a few clicks into the forest. This was not the same group that made an appearance the day before. There were twenty of them, all men, in black cloaks. And they were armed.

Wyatt Cain laid out his plan. Surveillance devices were placed at all four entrances to the grounds. They would be monitored by him in the security office, and he would coordinate security movement from there. Vetch and Lawrence were back on the roof. Jeb would keep the princesses inside and together, and the six others would do crowd and menacing men control.

The girls spent some time in the library that morning, but Jeb was on edge the whole time. He stared out the window at the grey cloudy sky, and every sound had him reaching for his revolver. He had a bad feeling he just couldn't shake.

Just after noon, the radio chatter picked up.

"Robbins, this is Vetch. Our friends have arrived." Some of the previous day's protesters had been back non-violently for a few hours, but now it seemed the black-cloaked men had arrived.

"Copy that, Vetch. They're trying to blend into the crowd."

Jeb turned to the princesses. "Can we move to Az's quarters?"

Azkadellia, who had definitely noticed his mood, nodded and rose without question.

DG followed. "What's going on?"

He held the library door for them. "To be honest, I'm not sure, but I'd feel better in a more secure place."

The communications continued as they walked down the hall.

"Lawrence," Wyatt's voice said carefully. "Do a head count on our friends."

"Yes sir. I've got…fourteen."

"Fourteen?" Robbins came back. "I counted twenty last night."

A twinge of alarm rose in Jeb. Azkadellia's door was still locked, but he gave the entire area a once-over before assuring himself it was safe. DG made a beeline for the bathroom, muttering something about how it "sucks to be a girl".

"I want a visual on our missing six ASAP. Recount from the roof. Vetch?"

It was Lawrence that answered. "Shot fired!" a pause, then "Man down! We have a man down! Code one on six men!"

"What?" Wyatt roared. "There was nothing on the monitors, they must have come over the wall somewhere."

_This is not good._

He had just enough time to look over and see Azkadellia's fear-filled eyes before a splintering crunch revealed the tip of an ax coming through the wall of the sitting room. A couple more swings and they'd be through.

He dragged Az into the bedroom. He needed a defendable position. Next to the bathroom door was a desk and bookcase.

"Sorry 'bout this." He said as he tipped the bookcase over on its side and tossed the princess behind it just as the men stepped through the wall. Diving behind his barricade, he reached back and slid the desk in front of the bathroom door. Hopefully DG would understand later. Azkadellia was crouched next to him, absolutely terrified.

"We know you're in here!" The lead man bellowed as he stepped into the bedroom.

Jeb checked his revolver. Six bullets. _Damn_. His extra boxes were in the sitting room. _Better make 'em count_.

He sat up and fired, hitting the first man square in the chest.

--

Az fought to still her shaking hands as bullets zinged over her head or hit the bookcase with a crack. Jeb would occasionally turn and fire, then another volley would zoom their way. _Please, please just let this be over soon_.

The last time Jeb pulled the trigger, she heard the awful click of an empty gun.

"Goddammit." He hissed as he ducked back down. He looked over at her. "There are two of them left."

"Well done, boy." A gravelly voice said. "But now you're trapped. It's not you we want anyway. Come out with your hands up or I'll shoot up that bookshelf and kill you both."

Az looked at a few places where the wood was splintered. Their barrier wouldn't take much more.

Jeb grabbed her hand. "Whatever happens, stay right behind me."

She nodded. They stood up, Jeb shielding her. The two men were dressed all in black and wore black masks.

"Ah, just the tyrant we were looking for." The men started forward and Jeb backed up until Az was pinned between him and the wall. It was then she noticed the tear in his shirt sleeve that was oozing blood.

"What I don't understand," The intruder continued. "Is why a Resistance hero is willing to take a bullet for the sorceress." He shook his head. "You ought to be thanking us, boy."

"Let me go, Jeb." She whispered. He didn't move. "Really, it's okay."

"Aw." Laughed the second man. "Even she knows what she deserves. Why don't you let her go, boy?" He turned to his partner. "Maybe she's really good in bed."

She was sure her cheeks were burning. A disturbance from the doorway created the distraction Jeb needed. He pulled a knife from his pocket and sent it flying into the chest of the closest masked man. A gunshot rang out and the second man fell to the floor, revealing Wyatt Cain in the doorway.

Az closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was over, for now.

--

"Good timing." Jeb remarked to his father.

"No problem." Wyatt surveyed the damage. "Nice work."

Pounding on the bathroom door, DG was livid.

"What the _hell_ is going on out there? Let me out!"

Wyatt stepped over a body. "Simon's going to be fine. He's in the infirmary right now."

As they moved the desk from in front of the door, Jeb noticed his arm.

"You okay?" His father asked.

"Yeah, I just got nicked." He tied his bandana around it to stop the bleeding. That was when he realized Azkadellia was gone.

He sprinted out the door as DG emerged from the bathroom exclaiming "Holy crap!"

Az wasn't in the library. She wouldn't be outside. Where would she go? A stab of fear shot through him and he remembered that the tallest point of the palace was the Eastern Tower. He took the narrow, winding steps two and three at a time until he came out at the top to find the princess sitting on the railing facing him. She looked up at his approach.

"I knew it would be you."

--

Rain started drizzling down; the breeze blew it into her back.

"Come downstairs, Az."

"Why are you here, Jeb?"

He appeared confused. "I don't understand."

She sighed. "I mean, why are you up here talking me down when no one would blame you for pushing me off?"

"That stuff before, it wasn't you."

"Wasn't it?" she retorted angrily. "I had my part in it. At best I put up no fight and at worst I was a willing accomplice. If you only knew, you wouldn't hesitate."

"You were a child –"

"At first."

"Az," he started.

"How many people have you killed, Jeb?" she whispered. He didn't answer. She slid off the rail onto her feet. "How many? Tens? Hundreds?"

"I –"

"How'd you do it? Did you shoot them? Stab them? Beat them over the head, maybe?"

"Az –"

"What about unarmed people? Ever killed anyone unarmed? What about women? Or children? Have you ever tortured anyone? Not just scared them, but really tortured them?"

The drizzle turned to a steady rain, soaking her.

"How about enslavement? Have you ever worked someone to death? Used a pain stick? Ripped out a brain?" The memory of Ambrose's extraction forced acid up her esophagus and she turned quickly, dry heaving over the railing. And he was right there, holding her hair back. The rain was now coming in sheets. She pulled back from the side and sank to her knees.

Looking up at him miserably, the tears started to fall, mixing with the rainwater on her face. "You got hurt."

His brow creased and he dropped down next to her. "I'm fine. I just got grazed. Simon Vetch is going to be fine, too."

"This time. Oh Jeb, I don't know what I'd do if you were shot." She buried her face in her wet hands.

His fingers gently pulled hers away. "I'm right here, Az."

"I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you on account of me."

"Azkadellia." He waited until she met his gaze. "If there's anything I've learned, it's that life is completely unpredictable. You're right, I might get hurt being your security detail. But if you jump off this tower, I might go to Central City, join the police, and get shot by fugitive criminals. Or I could be walking through the woods and a branch could fall on my head. You can't live your life in fear of what might happen. I know this job has its risks. I took it anyway. And I'm not sorry I did."

She could tell by his face he was telling the truth, but she just couldn't understand. "Why?"

He laughed. "Az, you are unlike anyone I have ever met. Past magical happenings notwithstanding. You are very smart. You make me laugh. You teach me things. You care about everyone but yourself. You can make flowers bloom and when you're happy, you make everyone around you happy, too."

She sniffled and pushed back a wet lock of hair. "You make me sound really great."

His walkie-talkie crackled before Cain's voice came over. "Jeb, are you with Azkadellia?"

Jeb pulled the device from his pocket. "Affirmative."

"Meet us in the Great Hall. DG's got a crazy plan to end this once and for all, and it just might work."

* * *

Too fluffy? Let me know.

I heart my reviewers! You guys are awesome!


	9. Chapter 9

Inspired by my amazing reviewers, I worked extra to get this one out today!

* * *

CHAPTER 9

Jeb and Azkadellia entered the Great Hall and saw DG and Wyatt walking in from across the room, carrying a very large mirror.

Jeb trotted over. "DG, I can take that –"

"Why do people think I am incapable of performing basic tasks?" She exploded. "I had to fight off two other staff members convinced I couldn't carry this!"

Jeb backed up, hands in front of him. "No offense intended."

Wyatt shrugged. "Okay kid, where are we putting this?"

"Up in the middle of the dais."

After they'd set it in place, DG skipped over to her sister.

"I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier. It's been staring me in the face the whole time!"

Az had been wearing her 'patient' face. "Great. What's the plan?"

The youngest princess took her hand and led her around behind the dais towards the small preparation room behind.

"It's simple, really. We just need you, a big mirror, everyone from outside, and…" She opened the prep room door to reveal Raw standing there, head down, eyes looking up. "Him."

Jeb didn't get it, but Azkadellia seemed to.

"You want him to project my memories using the mirror."

"Not all of them, of course, just the ones we need to show them what really happened."

Az thought for a moment, then looked over at the viewer.

"Raw will not look at other memories." He stated. "Only those Azkadellia offers."

She nodded. "I trust you, Mr. Raw." Taking a deep breath, she turned to DG. "I'll do it."

Less than a half hour later, nearly 90 people were seated in the Great Hall. Those protesters that had been armed had their weapons confiscated and were brought in handcuffed. The palace stable worker that had aided the assassins by getting them over the wall was brought in, as well. Several other members of the palace staff had wandered in and stood along the sides.

DG and Raw stepped out to the front, leaving Jeb with a trembling Azkadellia in the prep room.

"I don't know if I can do this." She confided, shifting her weight between her water-logged shoes.

"You were considering the Eastern Tower. I like this solution better."

"It might be harder, though."

DG began to address the crowd.

"You have all been brought here at my request. I understand that you feel wronged. You feel justice has not been served. I ask only for your quiet patience and a few minutes to convince you otherwise." She paused a moment. Taking the silence as an agreement, she turned to Raw. "This is the viewer Raw. As most of you know, viewers are incapable of tampering with or manufacturing memories; they can only read what is there. They can also detect when memories have been magically concealed or altered. Mr. Raw has offered, of his own free will, to read some of Azkadellia's memories and project them for everyone to see. Hopefully seeing what happened firsthand will settle some of the rumors that have been spreading."

"She may have royal leadership potential after all." Jeb commented quietly.

Az laughed nervously. "Mother won't believe it."

DG turned and nodded at them. He held out his arm and Azkadellia took it, holding on tightly.

He had worried about boos or jeers as they entered, but the room was eerily silent. Two chairs were set up on the dais. Raw stood in front of the one beside the mirror.

"I'll only be a few steps away." He whispered as he let her hand go and stepped away.

Her wet hair and dress gave the older princess a bedraggled look, but she seemed to muster all the grace she possessed as she nodded once to Raw, then sat carefully. The viewer sat as well and extended a furry hand. She took a deep breath, and Jeb didn't miss the shaking in her hand as she placed it in Raw's.

Their eyes slid closed and Raw brought his other hand up to touch the mirror. The reflective surface immediately illuminated with a jumble of scenes from her childhood: lessons with her tutor, skipping stones on a lake, and settling on a day in the woods with a young DG following a voice that Azkadellia couldn't hear. When the girls came upon a cave, Jeb's eyes widened as he realized what he was about to witness.

Poor young Az was protesting, but DG continued inside. He couldn't believe the unfairness of it all as he watched the cave wall blow out, the disgusting old witch, Az begging DG to hold on. Her awful screams as the witch took her made him feel sick.

Raw skipped ahead and young Azkadellia was walking through a series of hallways, having an argument inside her head. The voices were distinctly different. The witch's low rasps contrasted with Az's sweet voice.

"Only one can take the throne." The witch insisted. "Shouldn't it be you?"

"That doesn't mean we have to hurt DG."

"But they'll choose her instead of you. You've seen how they look at you lately. They've turned against you. All of them."

"I won't hurt DG."

"But she abandoned you. Ran away when you needed her most."

"I know, but I still don't want to kill her."

The witch turned nasty. "I've waited hundreds of years, and neither you or that annoying brat of a sister are going to stop me!"

She had reached a door and opened it. DG was sleeping on a bed in the middle of the room. She approached her. The witch spoke, using Az's voice, and repeated the old adage before starting her life-sucking thing.

Raw quickly moved ahead to the night of the eclipse. Grown DG stood in front of Azkadellia, pleading with her to take her hand, promising to not let go.

"She means it." Az's voice said in wonder.

"No she doesn't." Growled the witch. "She'll just run away again. I'm the only one that's stood by you."

"No, she really means it."

"Don't you dare. Put that hand down!"

As she took DG's hand, their magic light glowed, and a struggle began inside Azkadellia. The witch was screaming in pain and fighting to stay in the body.

"No! This is my crowning achievement! You can't -"

"Get out!" Az cried. With a final push, she stepped out of the machine's beam next to DG. She turned to see the old hag furious, but held tight to her sister's hand.

Finally, the witch exploded in a mess of black goo.

"She melted." DG observed.

The memory disappeared as Raw broke his connection. Jeb was trying to process what he'd seen. He'd definitely been through a lot of shit, but she'd lived out a horrific, annuals-long nightmare and still came out a sweet, caring person.

Az opened her eyes and looked over the crowd. No one moved. After a moment of silence, she stood and ran for the door. Jeb was on her heels in an instant.

She burst out into the hall. The door shut behind him and he called after her. She turned and threw herself into his arms, shaking.

"Jeb, what did I do?" Her words were slightly muffled into his shirt. "What if that wasn't enough? What if they still don't believe it?"

He pushed her shoulders back so she could look at him and ran his fingers through her damp hair, pulling it away from her face.

"You are so brave."

"I don't feel brave."

Shaking his head in disbelief, he said, "You just publicly relived some of your worst memories. That's brave."

--

She closed her eyes and opened her mouth to disagree but was stopped by the unfamiliar sensation of his lips on hers. Her eyes flew open in surprise, but she quickly settled into the warm feeling that was spreading through her. Jeb was everything good and right and noble. Always grounded. _And damn, he was a good kisser_.

Afraid she might start crying again, she buried her face in his shoulder and enjoyed the feeling of safety she'd come to associate with him.

"Someone's coming." He whispered in her ear after a moment. She nodded and stepped back as DG opened the door.

"Az, you should come back in here." Her blue eyes were wide with shock. "You'll never believe this."

Azkadellia glanced at Jeb, who gave a single nod, before reluctantly following her sister back into the Hall. Most of the crowd had dispersed, but a few vegetable-throwers and all fourteen remaining men in black lingered. They had shed their cloaks and stood in front of the dais without handcuffs. She was a bit afraid, but the captain of the guard wouldn't free these people unless he was certain they were no threat. DG led her before the small crowd.

One of the fourteen stepped forward and bowed. "Your Highness." He straightened, but kept his head down. "My name is Burns. And I humbly beg your forgiveness. I was misguided. If you will accept me, I would like to pledge my allegiance to the crown and join the Royal Guard."

Another stepped forward. "As would I."

"And I."

"And I."

All twenty people stood here, asking _her_ forgiveness. If there was something she had been expecting, it wasn't this.

DG leaned over. "Raw did a lie-detection on them all. They're honest."

When she was able to speak, Azkadellia responded. "I will gladly forgive you, if you first forgive me."

"For what, Princess?" Burns inquired.

She took a deep breath. This is what she needed from her people most of all. "I gave up. I stopped fighting her. I never should have stopped fighting. I let you down. Can you forgive me?" Her eyes were wet, but she refuse to let them spill.

Burns gave a half-smile. "Of course, Princess."

"Yes, Princess." Was echoed by the others.

Az felt so freed, she thought she might fly.

"Then I most happily welcome you into the service of my mother, the queen."

* * *

Leave some love (or concrit)!


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Five days later, things had settled down at the palace. Az pushed open the infirmary doors, like she had the past four days, to check on Simon.

"They say I can leave today." DG had obviously beaten all sense of royal pomp and circumstance from him; there was no more eye-averting or "your highnesses" anymore. He was sitting upright, red hair a mess from being laid up for the better part of a week. "But if it means laying in bed all day and personal visits from the princesses, I may have to get shot more often."

"Yeah, yeah, I know you're milking this 'injured in the line of duty' thing, Vetch." Jeb quipped, entering behind her. "Trying to pick up cute nurses."

Simon rolled his eyes, then turned very red as a young blonde nurse walked by.

Trying to get the conversation back on track, Az spoke. "It's good to hear you're doing so well. It was because of you that we were alerted to the intruders. You gave us the few seconds needed to save me and my sister. We owe you our lives."

"That's very kind of you, Princess, but I was just doing my job."

"Well, it will be good to have you back on that job."

"Assuming I haven't been replaced." He grinned. "You've more than doubled our forces."

Jeb smirked. "Don't worry, you're our number one guy for roof duty when armed men are storming the castle."

Simon shot him a dirty look coupled with a poorly concealed smile.

The walkie-talkie crackled.

"The queen has arrived. Jeb, the princesses are to meet her in her office." Wyatt said.

"Copy that." He swept his arm toward the door. "After you."

"Thanks for the visits, Princess." The guard called.

She smiled back at him. "Thank _you_, Simon."

Az and DG arrived at the office door at the same time. Grinning, DG pushed it open.

"My girls!" They were met with hugs and kisses from both parents. "Sit down, sit down." The queen insisted. "So much has happened!"

Their father laughed. "I told your mother if you two can solve all the O.Z.'s problems in the week we were gone, we need to take more vacations."

Ignoring her husband, the queen cast her lavender eyes on her daughters. "I am so proud of both of you."

"It wasn't just us," Az said, glancing at the door. "A lot of people helped."

"So how was your trip?" DG inquired.

"Wonderful." Their mother replied. "It was so nice to be back in the city. The new police department is doing very well. We participated in the officers' official installation ceremony our second day there."

"It was very good for your mother to get out among the people again." Their father added. "I think it raised everyone's spirits."

"Oh, and I have decided to declare a holiday!" the queen added.

DG raised her eyebrows. "A holiday? Can you do that?"

The prince consort shrugged. "She's the queen."

"What kind of holiday?" Az asked.

"A full official holiday, to celebrate the restoration of the Outer Zone."

The family visited for several more minutes and adjourned with plans to meet for supper.

Jeb fell into step next to Azkadellia as she headed toward her quarters.

"So, how'd it go?"

"Oh, just the usual. Daddy's happy we fixed the country while they were out, and Mother's invented a new holiday." She replied.

"A new holiday? Excellent. I'll tell my father he gets a day off."

Grinning at the idea of Wyatt Cain taking a vacation, she stopped in front of her door.

"I'll be right here." Jeb assured her, taking up position next to the newly-repaired wall.

She nodded and turned the handle. Just like each of the three days before, Raw waited inside for her. Feeling more confident today, she stepped forward. "It's good to see you, Mr. Raw. I'm ready."

--

Jeb was glad Azkadellia had agreed to these sessions with the viewer. There was a lot she needed to get off her chest and maybe it was easier to telepathically share a memory than to come up with words for everything. Either way, she deserved to get out from under this baggage and start fresh.

He heard familiar raised voices down the hall, approaching.

"I _told_ her I didn't need any more dresses. I need more pants."

"I know. And she told you that she doesn't make them."

"For girls she doesn't make them. She makes them for my father."

"That's still no excuse to rip the fabric from her hands and try to hijack the sewing machine."

"It she's not gonna make me pants, I'll make 'em myself!"

He heard a door close and one set of firm footsteps coming toward him. His father appeared around the corner, shaking his head.

"Never a dull moment." Wyatt stopped and stood beside his son. "Still wanna trade charges?"

"No, sir. I've definitely got the easier job."

His father nodded, all too knowingly. After a moment of silence he asked, "Jeb, do you like it here?"

Turning his head, Jeb looked at the elder Cain. Wyatt's eyes held a tinge of vulnerability foreign to his son.

"Yes, Father."

"I mean, I know you're used to more action-"

"Oh, there's plenty of action around here." Realizing what was really being asked, he continued. "I'm happy here, Father. I plan to stay."

Smiling, Wyatt put an arm around him. "That's good to hear, Son."

At that moment, Jeb realized something he hadn't known since he was a boy. He was home.

* * *

So ending this turned out to be way more difficult than anything else! I'm not super happy with this chapter but it's the best I could come up with. Ideas? ConCrit is welcome!

I'm thinking about a sequel, where Zero gets brought into the mix, probably rated T. What do you think?

Thanks to everyone who followed me through this. Your reviews were really great!


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